Thursday, January 31, 2013

LOS ANGELES—“I’ve got to hit the high notes. I’m buying those tight underpants,” Sacha Baron Cohen cracked about his coming role. He will play the Queen’s legendary frontman, the late Freddie Mercury, in a film to be directed by Stephen Frears and cowritten by Peter Morgan, both of whom gave us an award-winning film on the other Queen.

“I will be singing,” confirmed Sacha, a little more seriously this time. It was our first time to interview Sacha as himself. In our previous chats, he came fully costumed—as Borat, Bruno (he almost gave us a lap dance) and The Dictator. Each one was a hilarious session. But even talking as himself, Sacha was just as funny.

The Brit’s Borat moustache helped him land the role of the rock god, he joked. “I think that was the main reason that I got chosen,” Sacha said. “They don’t want to spend too much money on prosthetics and [fake] moustaches. That I can grow my own is going to be very significant.”

Sacha does not need to buy tight underpants right away. “We’re in the early days; we’re still working on the script,” he said of the untitled film to be produced by no less than Robert De Niro and Freddie’s former Queen bandmates, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, among others.

But Sacha was clear that the film will not cover Freddie’s entire life. “At the moment, it’s more about the… period of his life leading up to Live Aid and a bit after Live Aid.” Cowriting the screenplay with Morgan are Stephen J. Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson.

“The story of Freddie Mercury is fascinating,” the actor said. “He was a really interesting character. He had these incredibly traditional parents, who he didn’t come out to. He had a wife. He was one of the early celebrities who had to deal with getting AIDS in an era when it was a death sentence. He carried on performing—until the very end.

This biopic will only be Sacha’s seventh major feature film. “I can do only what I’m passionate about,” he declared. He enjoys film work so much, he considers it a hobby. “It’s not really a job. So, I don’t work much. That’s why I’m drawn to projects like this one.”

Fresh from his role as Thenardier in “Les Miserables,” where he and Helena Bonham Carter provided the comic relief, Sacha stressed that he does enjoy singing. “I have a gold record award on my wall in England, which I got when I was Ali G… the highest selling English rapper.”

During the recent press-conference Ms. Serduchka revealed her plans concerning the legendary purchase: "I bought the car not to drive it, but to preserve it to fans of Queen!" She will give the Rolls-Royce to the museum of Queen, that will be opened this year. Before that; Mercury's Rolls-Royce will be exhibited during the show of Verka Serduchka & Band in Moscow (Russia) on 9 - 10 March.

Being the big fan of Freddie Mercury, Verka Serduchka said, that the only things that she will keep from the car are: a box of unused Kleenex Mansize and a perfume which remain from when the car was in Mercury's possession.

Verka Serduchka bought a 1974 Rolls-Royce at auction by Coys on January 12, 2013 as part of the Autosport International show at the NEC, Birmingham. The deal was made by telephone.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

The legendary British rock group Queen will release ‘Live at Wembley Stadium’ in a 25th anniversary DVD edition on March 12, 2013 via Eagle Rock.

The 2-disc set captures the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers live at a pair of concerts in July of 1986 — two triumphant performances that would sadly prove to be nearly the last of the group’s career with Freddie Mercury.

One year after their show-stealing performance at Wembley during Live Aid, Queen returned to the massive stadium venue for two sold-out performances on Friday, July 11 and Saturday, July 12, 1986. The new DVD offers fully restored footage of those shows and also features a newly-remastered stereo mix and 5.1 sound.

“The Wembley concerts in 1986 were the pinnacle for us,” guitarist Brian May. “We were at our height band-wise, and Freddie had developed this phenomenal way of dealing with stadium audiences. Being back home in London playing two sell-out nights was such a big, big occasion for us. None of us realized that this would be almost the last time we played together.”

In fact, the group would play just two more concerts before Mercury was diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1987, after which they made the decision to cease touring. He passed away in 1991 from complications of AIDS. The two Wembley concerts stand as a fitting testament to one of rock’s greatest front men at the height of his powers.

“There’ve been some rumors we’re splitting. They’re talking through their a—-,” Mercury tells the audience. “We’ll be together forever.”

The new package features bonus footage, including interviews with May and drummer Roger Taylor from 2011, in which they describe the events leading up to the Wembley concerts and look back on the shows. There is also some rare rehearsal footage from the ‘Magic’ tour the shows were part of.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Legendary Queen frontman Freddie Mercury’s 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow was sold for a record £74,000 ($120,000) at Autosport International at Birmingham’s NEC yesterday.

Originally estimated to fetch between £9,000 to £11,000, the car was sold by automotive auctioneers Coys to a Russian businessman through telephone bidding.

Purchased by Mercury’s company Goose Productions Ltd in 1979, it was used by Freddie up until his death in 1991. The car even features a box of unused Kleenex Mansize Tissues, which have been in the car since being in his possession.

“We’ve had a great day of sales at Autosport International,” said Chris Routledge, Managing Director of Coys. “Freddie Mercury’s car received a fantastic response, selling for over double the expectation.”

“Coys always brings an astounding selection of rare and incredibly unique cars for auction at Autosport International, and this year has been no different,” said Ian France, Autosport International Show Director. “The Freddie Mercury Silver Shadow sale illustrates perfectly the enthusiasm there is for automotive as well as music memorabilia and we’re delighted to have hosted such a fantastic sale.”

Cars that featured in the Coys auction will remain on display at Autosport International for the remainder of the show, which concludes on Sunday 13 January 2013 at 6pm.

Autosport International features some of the world’s best motorsport and road-going machinery, along with the stars of the race track, including three-time Formula One World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart, as well as current F1 ace Paul Di Resta.